It’s Not Done: Daniel Peters Honors His Father in New Arsenal Book
It’s Not Done: Daniel Peters Releases Book on Arsenal’s 2025-26 Premier League Title Win
Daniel Peters published his debut book, It’s Not Done, chronicling Arsenal’s unforgettable 2025-26 Premier League title-winning season alongside a deeply personal tribute to his late father, John Peters. Written across ten intensive weeks of drafting following the conclusion of the campaign, the book captures both the jubilation of the club’s long-awaited championship and the grief of losing a lifelong companion just as the title race reached its climax in February 2026.
- The Subject: Daniel Peters’ new book documents Arsenal’s triumphant 2025-26 Premier League championship campaign.
- The Personal Story: The work serves as a tribute to the author’s late father, John Peters, who passed away following a sudden heart attack in February 2026 as Arsenal pulled nine points clear at the top of the table.
- The Production: Written over ten weeks of focused daily writing without a literary agent, the book was self-published to coincide with the start of the new football season.
A Lifelong Fandom Forged at Highbury
For Daniel Peters, supporting Arsenal was an inescapable family tradition passed down from his father. Growing up attending matches at Highbury, Peters eventually transitioned from match-goer to writing for publications in the 1990s, securing a season ticket in the Clock End, and playing for an Arsenal internet supporters team. Relocating to America over twenty years ago—moving from Manhattan to the suburbs of San Francisco—did little to diminish his dedication. Despite time-zone challenges that turned midweek matches into workday events and early Saturday fixtures into 4:30 AM starts in California, fixtures remained a constant anchor through shifting jobs and relationships.
That lifelong bond was continually reinforced by phone calls with his father, John, where Arsenal discussions formed the core of nearly every conversation. Following trophy victories, the elder Peters routinely gathered newspaper clippings and mailed them across the Atlantic. As the 2025-26 season progressed and the Gunners mounted a serious championship challenge, those regular conversations grew more strained as both father and son wrestled with the mounting tension of a potential title win.
Tragedy Strikes During the Title Race
The defining moment of the season arrived away from the pitch in February 2026, just days after Arsenal defeated Sunderland 3-0 at home to pull nine points clear at the summit of the Premier League. John Peters suffered a sudden and unexpected heart attack, passing away two days later at the age of 73. Left on his desk were fresh newspaper cuttings covering the Sunderland victory and a Carabao Cup semi-final from the preceding week.
When Daniel returned to England in April for the funeral, he attended a match against Bournemouth the day after laying his father to rest. Arsenal featured John Peters’ obituary in the matchday programme and subsequently mailed a personalized copy bearing the cover text “ARSENAL REMEMBERS JOHN PETERS.” That gesture, combined with the emotional weight of the unfolding title race, provided the catalyst for the writing project.
From Concept to Self-Published Release in Twelve Weeks
Determined to honor his father’s 73 years of devotion to the club, Peters committed to writing a book on the condition that Arsenal secured the Premier League trophy. Structuring the text around match-by-match analyses of the 2025-26 campaign, the manuscript also incorporates chapters examining historical milestones such as the Invincibles era, the challenging “Banter Era,” and the foundational memories laid by his father.
After initial doubts during the Manchester City fixtures, the West Ham match served as the turning point that solidified the narrative. Peters spent six hours a day for ten weeks drafting the first manuscript, followed by two weeks of ruthless editing and another two weeks managing the publishing process independently, bypassing literary agents entirely to release the book in time for the new football season.